One difficulty encountered in the training of typists and keyboard operators is training the user not to look at the keys while the keys are being stroked. Rather, it is the objective to teach the operator to look at the copy material that is to be keyed. This technique is known as "touch typing". Several aids to block one's view of the keyboard have been devised in the past. However, these devices are either designed to cover a typewriter and would not work with a computer keyboard or they are not robust enough to support the weight of books or thicker documents. Other designs permit the shield to be moved from one position to another while in use, thus allowing the user to be able to view the keys. Lastly, keyboard covers have been proposed but they are primarily designed to protect the keyboard while it is not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,389,419 to Briggs discloses a shield and divider that is attached to the keyboard of a typewriter. In particular, the shield has a downwardly extending and laterally deflected partition wall, the bottom edge of which is so formed that it may be positioned in the interval between the central rows of keys in the keyboard and divides the keys into two zones. Such a device would not work with modern-day keyboards because the keys are positioned such that there is no precise way to divide them.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,528 to Garman is for a pivotable shield which incorporates a movable screen member having two sections, interconnected by hinge means, with one of these movable sections pivotably mounted to a holding member. The holding bar is secured to a support member that is attached to the typewriter itself, and extended over from the back, or in front of the typewriter in such a manner to allow the shield assembly to be secured thereto. This device is inadequate for holding large documents or books.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,140 to Martinez describes a keyboard interceptor which is an upright standard having front and rear sides and mounting means on its lower end for releasable mounting from a support upon which a typewriter may be placed. More specifically, the device must be mounted to the forward marginal edge of a table. This mount is cumbersome and has a tendency to not always be fully secured by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,557 to Blanchard et al. discloses a cardboard shield for a typewriter keyboard and cylinder. The shield is folded to pass under the feet of the typewriter in order to hold the device in place. The keyboard shield portion is flexibly attached to the top of the typewriter so that the operator can raise the keyboard portion simply by raising his wrists against the bottom of it. This enables him to check the position of his hands on the keyboard. Such a device requires that the shield be secured to the top of the typewriter by means of a snap clip assembly. The clip engages the typewriter casing at the edge of the well found on many typewriters near the cylinder. Many modem-day typewriters no longer have the well nor do computer keyboards have a well. In turn, there is no place to attach the snap clip assembly. Moreover, the cardboard material is not strong enough to support the weight of a heavy copy or book.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,763 to Barnett discloses a protective cover for keyboard machines. A transparent hood is affixable to the machine housing and open at one side to admit the operator's hand. A panel is provided that is generally parallel to the keyboard face and spaced apart therefrom by a distance sufficient to allow normal hand and finger movements by the operator, but too close to permit any appreciable whole-hand movements. Such a device would not be suitable for one who is using a keyboard because whole-hand movement is required.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 342,944 to Rhodes is for a collapsible keyboard vision shield. Although the device is portable, it is incapable of holding any copy and can be easily moved with the wrist of the user during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,643 to Koch describes a keyboard cover and copy holder that has a first plate member and a second plate member pivotally connected to the first member. Each plate member has a rectangular main plate segment and a flange segment which extends perpendicularly to the segment and around three sides of the plate segment. The second plate member may be positioned in a first position in which it and the first plate member have a flat configuration, thus serving as a keyboard cover. Alternatively, the second plate member may be positioned in a second position in which it and the first plate member lie at an acute angle. In this instance, the device serves as a copy holder. This device cannot serve as a keyboard shield and copy holder at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,704 to North describes a keyboard training aid that has a support resting on the keyboard around the text entry keys and an opaque cover pivotally mounted on the support. Two apertures are in the top cover and aligned between the keyboard operator and the home keys in the center row so that the home keys can be viewed. There is no disclosure that the device can support copy materials.
An object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard shield and copy holder that is adjustable between several positions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard shield and copy holder that can support copy of various sizes and weights.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard shield and copy holder that does not permit movement of the shield by the operator's wrists.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard shield and copy holder that is suitable for modem-day typewriters and computer keyboards.